Only Exception
by MadameSutcliff
Summary: Even when everyone and everything around us falls apart, there's always that one person who can make it all fade away and pick up the broken pieces. That's what Matthew and Gilbert are for each other. Ignore my crap summary and just read it, I think you'll like it!


**This is the longest one shot ever. Ever! But, I'm actually a bit fond of this one. It was inspired by a CMV I saw on youtube, I loved it so much that I wanted to put it into writing. PruCan is just too cute for words and I love writing them, as well as FrUk, although sadly FrUk doesn't work out to well in this story. Anyway, enjoy, please review, I don't own Hetalia unfortunately. *cries***

Francis very quietly put the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door just enough to step inside then closing it gently behind him. He sighed softly as he slipped off his shoes before venturing any further into the house, wincing when he caught sight of the digital alarm clock perched on the TV stand that red 3:14 am. He didn't mean to keep coming in so late, he really didn't. He had been trying to make negotiations with his boss, but that was not going so well for him. Also, he was sworn to secrecy and was unable to tell his beloved Arthur where he was at night. In the past Francis had a bit of trouble with his lustful tendencies, but ever since he fell in love and married the blonde Englishman who had so deeply captivated his heart all of those feelings and temptations ceased to exist; Arthur was all he wanted and the only man he saw. In the beginning, Arthur had seemed to trust and believe him when he said and expressed these things, however now was a different story.

Francis's thoughts were interrupted by a door at the end of the hallway opening and a pair of feet shuffling silently toward the living room; he turned to see the older of his two sons, Matthew, walking down the hallway lightly, blonde hair sticking out in tufts all over his head and his polar bear Kumajiro hanging on his shoulder. He smiled and eyed his papa curiously, moving closer to him and hugging him gently around the waist.

"Bonjour Papa, long night again?" Matthew asked in his usual quiet tone.

Francis nodded tiredly. "Oui, things are not looking so good at 'ze moment." He glanced down the hall nervously then back to his son. "Is your father?"

Matthew nodded, knowing what he was about to ask before he got the words out. "Dad is asleep, I could hear him snoring. Alfred too."

Francis sighed a bit. "Bien. And why are you up Mon Cher? Trouble sleeping?"

Matthew sighed as well. "A little. And Kuma was hungry." The polar bear, who had been silent until now, batted at Matthew's hair impatiently.

"Food?" He questioned in his squeaky voice.

Matthew patted his head. "Yes, we're getting food."

"Who are you?" The bear asked, causing Matthew to sigh heavily.

"I'm Matthew, your owner."

"Food."

Matthew brought his palm to his forehead and shook his head as Francis chuckled lightly; he never understood why his son loved that silly animal with the attention span of an ant, but he didn't question it. He was about to turn and retire to his room when another door opened, this one a bit harsher, and Francis froze on the spot; he knew who that was.

Arthur stormed down the hallway, glaring at his husband, infuriated. "Where the bloody hell have you been you git? Do you know what time it is, and you're just now getting home?"

Francis sighed yet again, facing Arthur calmly. "Oui mon amour, I am terribly sorry but I-"

"Off whoring around were you?" Arthur sneered, his voice full of venom. Francis recoiled a bit, hurt that he was being accused of such things. It was happening more often now, what with all these late night ventures Francis was going on. But really, didn't he trust his husband at all? Francis shook his head and spoke firmly.

"Arthur Kirkland, you listen to me. I am not doing anything like that, I swear to you on my very life. What I am doing does not impact our relationship!"

Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Right, of course not! That would explain why you can't tell me about it, wouldn't it?!"

Francis ran his hand through his long blonde waves, exasperated. "Arthur, please believe me! You know how much I love you, why can't you just trust me?"

Arthur suddenly lunged forward, slapping his lover across the face as hard as he could and then proceeding to yell at the Frenchmen as loud as he could manage.

"I don't trust you because you're a fucking slut! You make me sick! I wish I'd never married you, you filthy pig!" Arthur pushed Francis to the ground then grabbed his car keys off the hook beside the door, leaving and slamming it so hard behind him that a picture fell off the wall and shattered, shards of glass flying everywhere.

Francis curled up on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest and sobbing softly. Matthew, who was rather upset after witnessing such a horrible conflict between his parents, approached his Papa and wrapped his thin arms around the older man's shaking shoulders. "Papa, are you okay?" What a stupid thing to ask, Matthew thought to himself.

Francis sniffed and looked up at his son, smiling sadly at him as he pushed his hair out of his face. "Oh Mattheiu, it will all be okay, don't worry mon cher." He hugged Matthew tightly then pulled away and stood, helping the blonde teenager stand as well. "Angleterre will forgive me, I know he will."

"But will you forgive him?" Matthew questioned quietly, eyeing the already forming bruise across his Papa's cheek.

Francis sighed lightly. "Of course I will, that is what two people do when they love each other. We should both get some sleep mon amour. Bonsoir." He kissed the top of Matthew's head then retreated to his room.

"Bonsoir papa; je'taime." Matthew called softly, then he went back to his own room, a now full Kumajiro following him. As he passed Alfred's room he could hear loud snoring and rolled his eyes; naturally he had slept through the whole thing. Matthew closed the door and flopped onto his bed, curling up with his favorite maple leaf blanket and his pet bear, and fell asleep quickly.

The next morning Matthew was awoken rather abruptly by yelling that was much louder than it had been last night. He jumped out of his bed, hair in completely disarray, and put his glasses on before stepping out into the hallway, shrieking as he was nearly decapitated by a flying flower vase. It hit the wall behind him and broke, water and porcelain pieces spraying his back. He glanced behind him at the mess then turned to see his two fathers' locked in a heated confrontation in the living room, glaring daggers at each other. Francis was the first to speak, or rather scream, getting in his shorter lovers face and backing him into a corner.

"How could you do this to me? After all I've done, all that we've been through, you're willing to just throw it all away?!"

Arthur pushed the Frenchman with all his might and towered over him as best he could. "Why should that matter? It's bloody well obvious that you're perfectly fine with that! I don't know who it is you've been fucking around with every night but I intend to find out! I'm tired of your lies and I refuse to put up with it any longer!"

"What the hell are you saying?! You want to walk away then?!"

Arthur punched Francis in the stomach, then grabbed the man's long hair and yanked his head up to hiss in his face, voice full of venom.

"I hate you Francis Bonnefoy, and I don't care if I ever see you again. I'm leaving today and don't you dare try to find or follow me. Filthy pig."

He punched Francis yet again and left him writhing on the floor, going back to their shared bedroom and gathering his things together faster than Matthew thought possible. He saw Matthew standing there, eyes wide with shock and full of tears, but he completely ignored him. Even when Alfred, his own son, came out of his room, looking around groggily, Arthur didn't spare him a second glance as he stormed out the door, slamming it again so hard it knocked another framed picture over.

Francis stood, albeit shakily, and pushed past Matt and Alfred, locking himself in his room. Seconds after he'd closed himself in they heard muffled screams and wailing coming from him.

Matthew turned to Alfred, who retreated back into the safety of his room, not wanting to deal with the disaster that was left in the wake of his two fathers.

Matthew slumped to the floor, choked sobs escaping his throat. This can't be happening, dad can't really leave papa. But it was happening, and there was nothing Matthew could do to stop it or change it.

He rose to his feet shakily and went back into his own room; one thing was for sure, he definitely didn't want to be alone.

Kuma was sitting up on the bed watching him curiously. "What happened?"

Matthew sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed, pulling his phone out of his pocket and hitting the speed dial. As it rang he turned to Kuma and patted his head. "Don't worry about it Kuma."

Kuma jumped off the bed and waddled out of the room, probably in search of food. About that time the phone's ringing cut off and a voice answered. "This is the awesome me!"

"Hey Gil, it's me. Um, where are you?" Matthew tried to keep his voice calm and steady but it cracked slightly and Gilbert noticed; his tone immediately switched from its usual cockiness to concern.

"Birdie? Is everything okay?"

"Not really. Can I come over? Please, I need you." Matthew said, his trembling voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course Mattie, I'm here and I'm not doing anything."

Matthew nodded even though he knew Gilbert couldn't see him. "Okay, I'll be there soon."

"Okay Birdie, the awesome me will be here waiting." With that he hung up the phone and went into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and his hair and went back into his room, pulling on his favorite jeans and faded red hoodie.

"Kuma, I'm going to Gilbert's house for a while. I'll be back."

"Gilbert? Can I come too?" Kuma and Gilbird, Gilbert's pet canary, were very fond of each other, and wanted to see each other any chance they got. Matthew smiled and nodded.

"Sure Kuma." Matthew picked him and his backpack up, leaving a note taped to his Papa's still locked door letting him know where he was and to call him if he needed him. He went outside, not bothering to lock the door since his brother was home, and hopped on his bike, pedaling the short distance to Gilbert's house. It was a rather nice day; it was cool but not cold, and the trees and ground were scattered with leaves of all different colors. Matthew breathed deeply, finding the crisp autumn air and sunlight refreshing. Before he knew it he was in front of Gilbert's house; he pedaled into the driveway and leaned his red bike against the side of the garage then hurried to the front door. Gilbert had swung it open before Matthew even had time to knock and in an instant had scooped the smaller boy into his arms and embraced him tightly. Matthew clung to him, nuzzling his face into Gilbert's neck, breathing in his familiar scent and sighing softly. Gilbert stroked Matthew's soft honey colored locks gently.

"Oh Birdie, what happened? Who do I need to awesomely kill?"

Matthew lifted his head, wiping his damp eyes on the sleeve of his sweatshirt and shook his head slightly. "Well, my dad is the problem, but I'd rather you not kill him." He turned his lavender eyes up and met Gilbert's crimson ones, smiling sadly. "He yelled at my papa and beat him up, and then he left." Matthew lowered his face again as a few stray tears escaped.

Gilbert held him a little tighter. "Hey, so they got in a fight, it's happened before hasn't it? Don't you think they'll probably resolve it and make up?"

Matthew sniffed and shook his head again. "Not like this, it was so bad this time; I've never seen my dad so angry before. I don't think he's coming back Gil." Matthew's voice broke on the last word and he lowered his head again, sobbing softly. Gilbert held his best friend tightly against his chest and kissed the top of his head gently, allowing the Canadian to cry for a few minutes. Eventually Gilbert gently coaxed him into the house, shutting the door behind him and rolling his eyes at Gilbird and Kuma who were now playing in the floor. The two sat down on the couch and Matthew sighed shakily, running his fingers through his wavy hair. "I'm sorry Gil, I said I wasn't going to act so pathetic."

"Hey, you're not pathetic Birdie, you're awesome, which is why you're here because I only associate with awesomeness; you know that, so therefore you are awesome." Matthew smirked at his albino friend.

"You always know just what to say Bear, thanks. I'm just worried about my papa, ya know? He's gonna be heartbroken." Matthew said sadly, gazing out the widow, violet eyes glistening in the faint sunlight pouring through to them. Gilbert wrapped his arm around Matthew's shoulders and squeezed him gently; Matthew then laid his head on Gilberts shoulder, breathing his scent in again; it was an interesting smell, a mixture of beer, bird seed, and a sort of woodsy scent. Interesting, but Matthew loved it all the same.

Gilbert sighed and nodded. "I'm sure he will be Matt, but he will get through it and be alright, hell, he'll probably be better off in the long run." Gilbert had never been fond of Arthur, seriously what kind of father forgets his son's existence half the time? I mean sure, Matthew wasn't technically his child, but when he had married Francis the Frenchman always treated Arthur's son Alfred like one of his own; why hadn't Arthur done the same for his beloved's son? Definitely not awesome. " You know, he and you will get through this together, you'll both be better off." Matt smiled up and Gilbert, sighing again, but this time it was more even and calm.

"You really do always know what to say Gil, thanks so much for always being here for me. And you're right, I think Papa and I will be happier now."

"What do you think Alfred will do?" Gilbert questioned.

Matthew shrugged "Who knows? Go with his dad, I guess. It doesn't matter much to me." Alfred was the star football player at their high school, where Matt and Al were sophomores and Gilbert was a senior. He and his friends loved to play pranks on people, and more times than not they would find Matthew in the hallways, thinking he was Alfred, and getting payback on him. It wasn't Al's fault really, but he never tried to do anything to stop it, so he and Matthew were not exactly close.

Gil nodded again. "Maybe they'll move away and you won't have to put up with his shit anymore."

"Mm." Matthew hummed absently, secretly thinking how nice that would be. Of course, when Gilbert was around no one messed with Matthew much, but given they were two years apart being together all the time was not feasible.

The two sat in silence for a moment, enjoying each other's company, and then the silence was broken by Gilbert's obnoxious ringtone. They both jumped a bit then laughed lightly, and Gilbert pulled in out of his pocket, his eyes lighting up when he read the name of the girl he was in love with on the screen, and he quickly answered it and held it to his ear. "Hey Liz, it's the awesome me, what's up?"

Matthew waited patiently while Gil talked to her; she was a very pretty girl in Gilbert's year with long wavy brown hair and soft golden eyes. She was very kind and funny, but also had a rather feisty side and was fun to be around. It was no wonder Gilbert loved her so much.

Of course Matt loved the albino, a lot. More than he'd ever loved anyone. And he wanted so badly to be with him, to spend every day by his side, as his boyfriend, his beloved. But of course that would never happen; Gilbert wasn't gay and even if he was why would he like Matthew? He was nothing special after all.

He turned back to Gilbert and tuned in to his conversation, not allowing all the nights he spent crying in his Papa's arms because it hurt so much to love someone who would never love you back enter into his thoughts. He should be happy that Gil was his best friend and at least loved him in that way. But it would never be what Matthew truly wanted.

"Yeah, Liz, you know you can talk to me about anything. You sound a little nervous though, is everything alright?"

Silence ensued for a few moments as Gilbert listened intently; Matthew noted in alarm that as he listened his smile faded and his face fell considerably.

"Oh, wow Liz. That's great, congrats! No, no, I'm happy for you, as long as you are. That's awesome. Yeah. Listen Liz, I have to go, but we'll celebrate later, okay? Okay, bye."

Gilbert dropped his phone on the couch and looked down at the floor sadly, though he was determined not to let Matthew see it. He smiled at him but the pain was clear in his eyes and the blonde was not fooled for a second.

"Gil, what happened? Is Liz okay?"

Gilbert nodded, his face a bit blank. "Oh yeah, she's fine; great, actually. She's uh, she's getting married." Matthew gasped softly and put a hand on Gilbert's shoulder, unsure of how to respond.

"Oh Gil, um, that's, well, isn't she too young?" Matthew racked his brain but he couldn't even remember Liz having a boyfriend, just a lot of friends.

"It's an arranged marriage." Gilbert replied. "Her family still believes in that sort of thing, real traditional and all. But she's happy. She really likes this guy."

Matthew tilted his head. "Who is this guy?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Roderich I think? Something stupid like that. Who knows." Gilbert stood up, gesturing angrily with his arms. "And who the fuck cares? He wins, whoever the fuck he is, so good for him." He slumped back down to the couch, sighing in defeat and groaning angrily. Without hesitation Matthew hugged him tightly.

"It's okay, I know you loved her-"

"I didn't _love _her." Gilbert growled, his tone a bit defensive. Matthew arched an eyebrow delicately.

"Oh really? You know it's funny Gil, that's pretty much what my dad said to my Papa this morning. But I feel fairly certain that he didn't mean it, he was just using the words to cover up the pain. Could that possibly be what you're doing now?" There was no anger or venom in Matthew's tone, rather he spoke softly and evenly, yet there was a firmness to his words that he rarely used with anyone but Gilbert; Matthew wasn't as delicate and frail as he seemed, and he certainly was not afraid to speak his mind.

Gilbert eyed his blonde friend incredulously. "How the hell do you do that?"

Matthew blinked, not necessarily expecting that response. "Do what mon ami?"

Hearing the Canadian speak in his native tongue always made Gilbert's heart flutter, even more so than it usually did when he was around. As Gilbert gazed at him, his flawless ivory skin, his soft blonde hair, especially that one curl that always stuck out no matter what Mattie did, and finally his vivid, jewel-like lavender eyes, all sense of logical thinking abandoned the German man and his heart took over; all the years and all the feelings he'd repressed rushed into him, consuming him. He had lost any control he'd ever warranted over those feelings, over his intense desires to admit to himself and to the whole world that he _loved _this beautiful incredible creature who was currently sitting so close to him they could touch, staring into Gilbert's crimson eyes intensely, confusion apparent on his face. But there was something else there; could it be desire, could it be Matthew had the same feelings as him?

Suddenly, Liz and Richard (or whatever the hell his name was) and Matthew's family and the 'what am I gonna do's and the heartbreak all seemed to vanish, slip away, disappear. None of it mattered anymore, not even a little.

Because in that moment, Gilbert threw caution to the wind and practically tackled Matthew, pressing his lips roughly yet tenderly to the other boy's. Matthew reacted in shock at first, tensing up, a bit fearful of Gilbert's less than gentle handling. But once his mind caught up and he realized what was happening, and that he was still awake and it was _really _happening, he eagerly kissed Gilbert, his beloved Gilbert, and wrapped his arms around his neck, pressing his body close to the albino's, drinking in every inch of him, the way he felt, the way he smelled, the way his warm mouth felt against the Canadian's. It was spectacular, he felt as if fireworks were exploding in his chest. They both felt as if they were flying, leaving the earth and all its hurt and sorrow behind, going to a place that was all their own. And the best part was that even when they had to break apart and they looked into each other's wide eyes they remained in that special place, and now they knew they would never have to depart from it.

**So there you have it. I hope it was enjoyable! I need to quit being so cliché **


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